Maarten van der Horst graduated with a BA from the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem and participated in Lichting in 2008. During his studies he completed an internship with Chloé in Paris, which “taught me enough to make me want to do my own thing”. He decided to move to London to do a MA at Central Saint Martins. His AW11 graduate collection showed a combination of embroidered, second-hand Nylon petticoats with Hawaiian shirts, Capri trousers and Bermuda shorts and was very well received. Immediately after his graduation, Maarten started his own studio and has been showing multiple collections under Lulu Kennedy’s Fashion East-umbrella. He also designed two capsule collections for Topshop.

Above all, Van der Horst wants his clothing to communicate. Therefore he often works with clichés. In search of the perfect Hawaii shirt, the perfect trenchcoat, he does a lot of research finding inspiration in vintage clothing. Research is also the basis of his work as a consultant for Acne Studios. Based on abstract key words he gathers rough design ideas and reference material.
Next to this he works as a shoe designer for Acne Studios and a print designer for Diesel SPA.